Managing Technical People

This class introduces a variety of skills that an engineering manager needs. It is especially appropriate for technical people who are new to management or those about to move into management. It can also provide a skills boost to those who have been managing for years.

In this class we discuss the difference between being an individual contributor and being a manager. For example, management workflow tends to be much more interrupt-driven than that of the technical contributor. To help managers cope, the class provides time-management and prioritization techniques.

Another area where strong technical contributors who become managers struggle is delegation. They find it challenging to let other engineers learn to do tasks that they themselves could do more quickly and efficiently. Yet, growing others is often more important for the long-term success of the organization. The class discusses delegation in detail and provides tools and guidelines for how and when to delegate.

We spend considerable time on the relationship between manager and their direct reports, introducing participants to the basics of coaching and mentoring. Participants will learn how to give constructive feedback, both positive and negative. The discussion will include the role of formal performance reviews as well as the vital role of less formal on-going feedback.

We talk about how to structure regular communication with reports to keep both the manager and the report informed and productive. This includes efficient ways to push information down from above as well as to gather and report information back up the command chain.

Though most people think of the relationship between the direct reports and the manager when the topic of management comes up, the manager also has important relationships with peers and superiors. This class covers techniques for managing these relationships as well.

Managing people often involves managing projects, so the class covers some of the basics of project management including: goal setting, time and work estimation, progress tracking, and dealing with change.

Ideally, the manager maximizes what the company gets from each employee and what each employee gets from being part of the company. This class teaches participants ways to help their reports contribute more value each day, while growing their skill sets and abilities in order to make them even more valuable in the future.